Shadows of Tomorrow

Chapter 62 - Chaos On Mandalore

Author's Note: A lot happens in this chapter. Just read the title :)

And yes it's another several-year time jump, but it's time for the plot to kick in again, isn't it? ;) 

~ Tirana Sorki

Marr had no intention of letting the word get out about how he had the Darksaber, but the word started to spread anyway. So, he should hardly be surprised that, almost four years later, pretty much everyone already knows that he has it.

Even if he never officially did anything about it, many seem to have to have decided on their own that he's their new leader, especially those against the Empire. It's... a huge responsibility, but it's proving to be a little easier than he thought. Probably because he's not outright ruling, not yet. He knows how to be a leader, but sometimes, he still struggles with it.

It's also not a surprise when the Empire finally takes note of it. He'd almost expected it when some of the top Imperials on the planet ask for a meeting with him in the capital.

The Empire is... not impressed, to say the least, when they found out he is the Mand'alor.

They're giving him boring, unnecessary speeches about how the Empire is helping Mandalore so much, but he can see the veiled threat beneath their words. They want to see if he's actually on their side, of if he's just pretending. It's a careful game on both sides, because while he won't outright say something against the Empire when they aren't ready for a fight, he won't claim to support everything they do.

And, of course, they can't outright threaten him, not that he'd be intimidated by anything they had to say, anyway.

Now, they're trying to talk him into supporting the use of some weapon which he is highly concerned about simply on principle. He doesn't know the details – they won't tell him, and he needs to be careful about outright asking – but it can't be for anything good.

This might be working for now, but he gets the feeling that it isn't going to last much longer. He can only hope that when chaos erupts, everyone is ready, and that this time, his family will be able to come out together. That is what he fears most: losing everyone he loves as abruptly as last time, again. It's been thirteen years since everything fell apart, and it was hardly over thirteen years after he joined the Order that things starting spiraling down before. It feels like history is repeating itself, so yes, he's scared.

***

The last thing Marr was expecting, though, is for Sabine to show up not long after his meeting with the Imperials. "Sabine?" he asks in surprise, then frowns.

He can feel her distress in the Force as she steps inside, taking off her helmet. "I... need to talk to you," she says, and how upset she is, is obvious in her voice as well.

"What is it?" he asks. As Sabine grew older, he hasn't spent much time around her, but he knows her well enough. Something tells him that the reason she's coming to him about this is more because everyone is starting to see him as the Mand'alor, though.

She takes a seat across from him, squirming almost nervously for a moment. "It's about... You heard about the Empire building a special weapon here, right?"

For some reason, he gets the feeling he will not like the way this is going. He's been trying to get more information about it for a while already, but the Empire is being... elusive. And he gets the feeling he is not hearing the whole truth. "I have," he confirms, "Why?"

"There's a contest going on, among the cadets," she explains, looking decidedly uncomfortable. It's weird to remember that she's literally preparing to become a stormtrooper. He's less than happy, but he can't spread his opinion about it. "They want to see if someone could design a weapon that can target beskar armor."